Hammer of Witches
by BlackTeaInBuckets
Summary: They see the monsters but I know you are not one no matter what they say. They don't know you so how can they judge you? Or me? How could a monster feel what I feel now? I'm scared, my wings are broken but knowing you are safe makes me tremble less. USUK
1. Alive

So first...

Warning: This USUK is (or will be) rated M for a reason, just so you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or any of it's characters, if I did it wouldn't be half as awesome as it is.

...and now to the story.

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><p>Ch.1: Alive<p>

_Scarlet. The world turned scarlet. Consumed by searing agony, whole world in flames. No, not the whole world. Because there was still a warmth that didn't burn, something that didn't hurt. A drop of white in the sea of crimson._

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><p>Cold, rough and wet stone scrapped unforgivingly on the skin of the man's knees as the he was dragged along it. Crimson droplets and smears of the person's blood were tracing the way perfectly like a path of crumbs. Not that the man would need to find his way back. Loud rough click followed by a sudden screeching noise of an iron sliding against iron tore through the musty air of the place and moments later the previously dragged body was thrown onto the same cold stone floor without much care. There was the same screeching noise of iron bars moving, closed this time, and an unmistakable sound of a rusty lock sliding into place, then retreating steps and then silence.<p>

The body on the floor stirred signalling that it was, indeed, still alive. The man was obviously trying to get up and maybe he would if his hands weren't bound behind his back with heavy metal cuffs. But as it was he just slumped back to the ground and instead tried to decipher more of his surroundings.

He was in jail but that much he had already known. It was very dark in there but that was not really a problem, considering who he was he could see well enough even with the nearly none light that seeped into his cell from the poorly lit corridor. He supposed there was only one torch on the far away end by the door. Any human would be practically blind in there. The man's sight was indeed a bit blurry but that was only because his glasses were askew, nearly falling off of his face, so he was not really looking through them.

A sigh escaped his lips. This was not how he had imagined his day, not at all. He really had not planned to spend it in a filthy jail reeking of rotting flesh and a few things he didn't want to identify with only rats and that disgusting smell as a company. He just wanted to pass through the village, get a _meal _in there and disappear without trace. A simple plan.

_But it didn't go too well_, he thought wryly.

He needed to get out of there and quickly. But those goddamned handcuffs had to be cursed of something because he couldn't break out of them. And even if he could he was much too weak, much too wounded to escape.

_Think, Alfred, think. There has to be some way out of this mess_, he told to himself. He refused to give up or despair, no, because that would be his end. _I will get out of here, I'm way too young to die and I won't let myself be burned at the stake, thank you very much._

Alfred's brain was working so hard it was almost visible. But even so he couldn't figure out just what was he going to do.

_Oh, this is some deep shit I've gotten myself into_, Alfred thought but then he froze.

He had been so sure about being alone, so sure that the quite clink of metal from behind him nearly gave him a heart attack.

He turned onto his other side so he was now facing the back of the cell. Not much light reached the far away corner of the small room but Alfred could still make out a faint silhouette of a man there. The man was kneeling on the stone floor with his hands hanging off the wall high above his head where they were bound in heavy metal shackles. His head hung low and he wasn't moving, it seemed he was unconscious.

Alfred couldn't believe his luck. He might in the end get out of there. That was, of course, in the case that the man was still alive. Alfred hesitated. He didn't want to kill the man but his situation was hopeless.

_Desperate times…_, he thought as he started to drag himself along the floor towards the kneeling man.

As he got nearer he could smell something else over the disgusting odour of the place. And it was divine, the aroma of the man's blood.

_So he _is _alive, I can't believe how lucky I-_

„You get one inch closer, vampire, and your head can say goodbye to the rest of your body."

_Oh, shit_, Alfred cursed as he indeed felt a rather sharp pressure against his throat. But there was no one standing behind him. _So he's a wizard, oh shit, shit, shit, shit, and I thought I was lucky! But maybe I could still get out of this…_

„H-Hey there, I thought you were asleep, haha!" Oh god, could he be more stupid? Of course he had thought that! And he was about to use it and suck the man's blood dry!

The wizard was now eyeing menacingly, his head still hung low like if the simple task of raising it was too much for him.

„Shut up," he ground through his teeth making Alfred curse inwardly again.

„Ehh… look, there's no need to be nervous I.. I'm Alfred, Alfred F. Jones, and… what's your name?" Alfred felt the pressure on his neck increase and he gulped nervously.

„I thought I told you to shut up, vampire." His voice was calm, though it was clear how much effort it cost him just to speak. But Alfred was sure the man would kill him in a matter of seconds. So the next words that came from the wizard gave him a real shock.

„I have something to propose to you and I promise you won't regret listening to me because it's much better than just my blood."

Alfred just stared at him, dumbfounded. _What the hell?_

„I can't get out of these shackles and I know you can't get out of those handcuffs," he paused, "so let's help each other." One of the wizard's hands opened and there, in his palm laid a small key.

_How did he get that?_

„I'll give this to you, it's a key to your cuffs, and you will get rid of my shackles." It was not a question, just a statement but the vampire still nodded.

Right before his eyes the key raised from the wizard's palm and moved through the air until it landed in the vampire's palm instead. He didn't hesitate in unlocking his handcuffs and shakily sitting up. It was a surprise how much better he felt once the metal wasn't touching his skin. Like if it really had been cursed. But he was still weak.

Alfred stood up with some effort and closed the distance between himself and the wizard with the later watching him warily the whole time. He hadn't forgotten his end of the deal. His fingers slid carefully around the lock of one cuff and with some struggling he broke it. The arm that was suddenly released fell uselessly to the man's side. The wizard let escape a hiss of pain. A good part of his weight was now hanging only on his right wrist and was causing him more than a slight discomfort. Alfred disposed of the other cuff and barely caught the man before he slumped to the floor.

„I have another proposal," the wizard said quietly as he was propped against the wall. Alfred now had a chance to look at him more closely. The other man was young, blonde with nice face and rather prominent eyebrows.

„I'll let you have my blood and you will get me out of here, alive."

_... wait, what? _Alfred was sure his jaw dropped down to the floor, he must have heard wrong.

„What?"

The wizard looked at him with narrowed eyes but Alfred was sure he couldn't see him, it was too dark.

„You heard me. I know you're wounded and much too weak to escape and so am I. So you will drink my blood and then get us out of here." Again it was just a statement, no room for objections but Alfred was not going to have any.

_Ok, I really _am _lucky._

Who was he to refuse that offer? He didn't nod this time. He just shifted closer to the man in front of him.

„What's your name?" he asked again, much more calm this time.

There was a moment of silence.

„It's Arthur, if you need to know, and could you hurry up? I don't want to be burned at the stake even with you to make me company."

The sarcastic tone almost made Alfred chuckle but he refrained from that opting for a smile instead. He was still a bit wary of the other's reactions.

„But I'm a good company, you should consider it." The vampire was sure Arthur's lips tilted a bit up at that.

„I think I'll pass on that offer. Now, could you...?"

Alfred didn't need to ask what had the wizard meant. He just moved one of his hands so it was supporting the other's head and tilted it to the side. He was once again aware of the divine smell of Arthur's blood that surfaced even through the grime covering his skin. He breathed it in and couldn't help but release a pleased sigh. _I can't believe he's offering this willingly, desperate situation but still.. I can't wait to-_

His trail of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a slight shiver of the body in front of him. He glanced to the side, at Arthur's face, and he saw the man had his eyes shut tightly and he was biting his bottom lip so hard Alfred was sure the skin was going to break soon. He then realised the wizard was scared. It seemed so strange for someone who had threatened to kill him mere minutes ago. It was so... _human_, he thought.

His free arm slid around Arthur's waist, the hand rubbing soothing circles into the wizard's back as Alfred lowered his head into the crook of the other's neck closing his own eyes. Another shiver run through the body he was now embracing as his lips touched the skin lightly and he only held it closer. There was a quite gasp for air when the vampire's fangs sank into the flesh of the other's throat cradling the body even closer.

_Oh god, this is so good._ Alfred had never before tasted any witch's or wizard's blood, never even thought about it, and it was amazing. He had thought that there was nothing better than human's blood but the liquid that was now running down his throat couldn't be even compared to it and he had to restrain himself from moaning in delight.

Alfred could feel his wounds heal and his strength rise but he could also feel the body in his arms giving slight trembles and he could hear Arthur's ragged breathing getting steadily weaker and slower. _No_, he thought,_ it's too soon, it's not enough..._ He wanted more, more of that heavenly nectar. He doubted even angel's blood could taste this divine. But the trembles ceased almost completely and the body went limp in his grip and he knew that if he took more he would kill the man for sure.

With all his self-control Alfred slowly pulled his fangs out, licking at the last drops of the crimson liquid that escaped and then watching the wound slowly close. He lowered Arthur to the ground, careful not to hurt him. He then froze to the place.

The wizard's eyes were watching him from under the heavy lids. He noticed they were green. There was no trace of the previous menace in them and Alfred realised he could just walk away and leave the other man there and that Arthur knew it. He had known it all along.

_He had no guarantee I won't leave without him, no reason to trust me and he has still.._

The eyes held him in place. And they were pleading him, pleading not to be left to die before finaly letting the heavy eyelids close over the green orbs.

Alfred still didn't move. The wizard's face was now calm but that didn't make him forget the last look of those eyes, the silent plea and the wish to live.

And he couldn't ignore that.

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><p><span>AN<span>: So... how do you like it? Is it good? Or bad? Well, I won't know unless you tell me so review please, it means a lot to me. Also if you found **any** mistake just let me know, I'm not a native english speaker and you would help me get better by pointing out what I do wrong. I have a very clear idea where's this story going, so it shouldn't take me too long to update. I hope at least someone will read this, it's a first story I post here.


	2. Can you?

Well, first of all thank you all who reviewed, favourited (is that a word?), put this on story alert or just read the first chapter, you are all awesome :) A special thanks to AFreezingFlame, who pointed out the mistakes in the previous chapter. Now, why did it take me so long? Eh, illness, my natural laziness, too much research but mainly school. Well, I won't babble anymore.

Warning: Yeah, this is rated M but I think you've noticed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, fortunately for all its fans :)

And now enjoy the kind of long chapter.

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><p>Ch.2: Can you?<p>

Dark fog was clouding all of his senses. It was hard to tell where he was, what he felt or even which way was up and which down. But this confusion lasted only for a second before it all started to fall into place.

First the unmistakable feel of gravity returned to him, assuring Arthur that he was indeed laying on his back on some hard and cold surface. The next thing he became aware of was the pain, dull ache at first but then quickly blossoming into something much more profound. He tried but was not able to tell where was the pain coming from until he realised it was his whole body hurting. His eyes slowly opened as he finally entered the waking world.

He was alone and the thing he was laying on was obviously a floor but it was not the floor he had been expecting to wake up on. This was not the floor of the rotting cell he had been locked in for a period of time he couldn't be quite sure about. No, this floor was made of wood not of stone and was covered in dust rather than grime. Green eyes roamed the room around their owner.

_This is obviously some deserted house, judging by the layer of dust on, well, everything_, Arthur thought as he carefully sat up hissing in pain. But he was used to it by then. He had been in constant pain for... well, for as long as he had been locked in that cell and some more. The wizard looked around himself carefully.

There was nothing in the room except for one lit candle and an old wooden table it was placed on. There were also no windows so the only light was provided by the sole candle. In the dim glow of the flame he could see the worn-out steps of a staircase made of the same wood as the table. The stairs led to a trapdoor in the ceiling.

_So I'm probably in some kind of a cellar, but how did I get in here? _He froze as he remembered the one important 'detail'.

_The vampire! Where is he? _He frantically scanned the room as if he expected the vampire to be hiding in a corner prepared to attack him. But of course there was no vampire lurking in the shadows and the wizard scolded himself for his own stupidity. If the other had been there then Arthur would have felt him, much like he had in the cell before. Now he had to figure out what to do next.

_Well, first I should probably get up from the floor_, he told himself. But that proved to be a rather difficult goal considering he couldn't get his legs to move much. _Ok, so I'll pass to plan B._ Not that he had some but still he turned onto his stomach and started to drag himself towards the nearest wall using his forearms to haul his body forward as using his hands was much too painful with most of his fingers broken. But that didn't stop his body from hurting much more when he finally reached the wall and rested his back against it.

_So that was the easier part,_ he thought as he panted from the exertion, _now to the main show..._ He used the wall as a support and quickly hauled himself to his feet. Bad idea indeed. His vision blackened almost immediately, nauseating feeling taking over his whole being and he slumped back to the floor with pained gasp.

"Bloody hell." He was sure that he'd have been throwing up right then if he had something in his stomach in the first place. But as it was he was only gasping for air as he rested his back against the wall again.

_Ok, so I've lost a lot of blood, my head is spinning and I can't really stand up. I'm injured and in severe pain because that bloody humans really know how to torture someone without actually killing them and I'm alone in some cellar god knows where. _His situation didn't look very enviable.

_But I'm still alive._ That was true. The vampire, Alfred, obviously hadn't left him in the jail, he had gotten him out and even though that was what he had been relying on Arthur was still surprised. He honestly hadn't expected the vampire to fulfil his end of the deal but the wizard had been desperate and maybe he had hoped the vampire would kill him before he would get at the stake. The question that bugged the magician the most was why? Why he had done it? And the next question followed, would he return? Arthur was not sure if he wanted him to. He was weak and that was the problem, he couldn't defend himself so if the vampire had left him alive just because he wanted his blood again the wizard would have no choice but to let him have his way. But on the other hand he _was weak_ and that meant that if he was still in the town he probably wouldn't be able to get out of there by himself, not to mention getting out of the cellar in the first place.

_I have to play it on the 'I'm-a-powerful-wizard-so-fear-me' card again, well, I _am_ a powerful wizard but right now, in this state there is not much I can do._ He stopped his musing. That was a thing he would have to care about in case the vampire actually returned. Arthur looked at the candle on the table.

_He left the candle lit but that doesn't have to mean he plans to come back. Maybe he just wanted to be done with the deal so he brought me to some 'safe' place and lit a candle so I would see when I wake up..._ But that just didn't seem to be a likely possibility. Arthur didn't know why but it just didn't. Maybe it was because of the candle. It was, after all, something not included in the deal. Why would have the vampire bothered if Arthur would see or not? The deal was over, he was out of the jail and alive. The wizard sighed.

_There's no use in pondering over it now, I may as well try to get out myself._ He stood up again, much slower this time, and gasped as he tried to rest some weight on his right foot.

"Damn those sick bastards and their Boots!" the wizard cursed through gritted teeth. He carefully tested the leg, biting his bottom lip to muffle the sounds of pain. Well, he was lucky because the bone in his shin was not broken but the leg was shaking under his weight and hurt terribly. He didn't dare to look at it.

He awkwardly made his way to the stairs where he sat down on one of the lower steps and closed his eyes panting slightly.

_How am I supposed to get somewhere in this condition?_ he asked desperately. But still he dragged himself up the stairs and pushed against the trapdoor.

It didn't move.

_So he plans to come back._ It was obvious that the trapdoor was either locked or there was something standing on it. The vampire was going to return but Arthur didn't know when.

A wave of panic washed over him before he managed to calm himself some.

_Don't freak out, Arthur, it's not like you_, he scolded himself mentally. He descended the stairs again, not before he gave the trapdoor one last push, and hid under them. Not that it was some great hideout, but the only one in the room nonetheless. Now the only thing left was waiting. The dim light of the room was somehow calming.

_Shit, I can't fall asleep now!_ But he was exhausted. He had to find something to occupy his mind with. His eyes wandered to his right leg.

_I could look over my wounds, now that I have time._ But then his gaze fell to his hands and suddenly the examination didn't seem like such a good idea. He shuddered when he recalled how the men had been breaking his fingers, one by one, some of them more than once. He bit his lip and forced the memories of the torture out of his mind.

_Pull yourself together Arthur, now it's not the time for this, it will do you no-_

There was a sound from above. Something was being moved along the floor and soon the trapdoor was opened.

One foot clad in dark brown leather boot appeared, then another one and then their owner was descending the stairs, the trapdoor closing above him.

Arthur was frozen to the spot, he didn't dare to make the slightest sound. He had never really _seen_ the other man but he knew he was the vampire.

The man then reached the base of the staircase. He stared at the room obviously confused, then he sniffed the air and his head turned to the side.

But before Alfred could really look under the staircase something, or rather someone, lunged for him.

Arthur yelped in pain as he was grabbed by his arms before he could collide with the vampire. He struggled against the hold only succeeding in hurting himself more.

"What the hell? Why did you do that?" Alfred stared at the other man in confusion, he had expected the other man to be laying on the floor where he had left him and he certainly _hadn't _expected him to attack him as soon as he returned!

_What have I done wrong?_

He was torn out of his musing by an icy voice.

"Get your hands off of me, vampire, or I'll blow your head up." Green eyes bore into the blue ones shoving only anger and menace. Well, if Arthur was something then he was a great actor because he was seriously beginning to panic then. He had to try really hard not to wince when the hold on his arms didn't falter. The vampire was still staring at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"Don't you understand me? I've told you to _let go._" But Alfred was not letting go. He was not sure why he was doing it, maybe it was some insane suicide wish or it was just his natural temperament that always got him to rebel against the orders, but instead of releasing the wizard's arms he just squeezed harder. A lot.

A whimper forced its way through Arthur's lips and his legs, or rather _leg_, nearly gave away under him.

_Oh no, no, no, I have to play it right, he can't know that I'm totally defenceless!_

"Let go," he ordered again but his voice shook and his face showed the pain he was feeling quite clearly so the final effect was not what he had wanted it to be. Alfred tilted his head to the side.

_This is becoming interesting_, he mused. _He still hasn't killed me even though I'm obviously hurting him._ Alfred pressed the arms a bit harder and he swore he could feel the bones in them shifting. He had expected Arthur to stop him but the other only grimaced and bit down on his lip. _Why?_ Then it occurred to him that maybe the magician couldn't. _No, that's bullshit..._ But he still decided to push his luck a bit more.

"Make me," he said with a smirk. He had no idea what he was doing but he had always acted on impulse, that was just him. And he kind of enjoyed the clear distress that displayed itself in the other's eyes. "If you can, that is."

Arthur couldn't quite grasp how the tables turned so suddenly. Back in the cell it had been clearly _him_ in control and now? Panic washed over him with nauseating power. He was going to die, for sure.

_Stop the whining Arthur! This is not how you are supposed to think!_ Well, say and do were two completely different things.

"Do you want to die, vampire? I swear I won't hesitate to end your sorry life! So step back before you come to some serious harm!" He still could at least _try_ to fool the other man into believing that he was the one in danger. But Arthur had a feeling that the vampire wouldn't fall for it this time.

"Oh really? Then go ahead," Alfred said. He really hoped the magician wasn't serious and his hopes were affirmed right away as nothing bad was happening to him. Arthur was just staring at him, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. And still nothing. Alfred chuckled. "You really know how to threaten someone, Mr. Wizard, I really believed you for a moment."

Arthur's eyes widened, only confirming that he, in fact, couldn't do anything.

"What do you want from me?" he asked quietly. His whole so called 'plan' had crumbled down on him, with his 'great-wizard' card gone he had nothing to defend himself with, and frankly he had no idea what to do now.

_I may as well get a clearer view of my situation. _Though it was sure to be pretty bad.

The vampire was obviously thinking the question through. What did he want?

_Should I play with him some?_ Alfred asked himself and couldn't help the smirk that stretched itself across his face. _This could be fun._ He laughed.

"What do I want? Well, what do you think I could want?"

Arthur nearly screamed as his back slammed into the nearest wall. He tried to fight the vampire off but the other man still had a solid grip on him.

"Get off!" he yelled. "Get off you bloody wanker!" A stream of curses continued to flow out of his mouth as he struggled against the hold of the vampire who was now practically pressed against him. But he promptly fell silent as a hot, moist feeling spread over his neck.

_Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!_ The vampire actually _licked_ his neck. _Shit, I'm going to die and right when I've got out of the jail! Why's this happening to me? And just because I let my guard down for a moment and let myself be caught!_ The wizard shut his eyes. He wanted to fall right through the wall or disappear to somewhere, just do _something_ to get the vampire to _let go_. _Get away, get away, get away!_ he repeated. But Alfred didn't budge.

Alfred was, in fact, _almost_ about to forget his original intentions. After all he was still a vampire and he would be damned if he said that the pulse on Arthur's neck wasn't driving him crazy. And it was so close too. All he had to do was bent a bit down, just a bit closer, his lips touched that throat and he could almost see himself biting down on it. Almost. Because that was not the right thing to do, not something that a _hero_ would have done and Alfred had always looked up to heroes. He was trying to be one. So he sighed and started to pull away, but not before grazing his fangs lightly over the wizard's skin. And then _something_ crushed into his chest.

The next thing he knew was that he was on his back, on the floor, on the other side of the room feeling as if a horse had just kicked him. Groaning he stood up, his brain trying to figure out just what had happened. He stared at the magician who had apparently slid down the wall when he had released him. The man was panting as if he had just run a marathon and Alfred noticed a thin string of blood running from his nose. The green eyes watched him warily.

_Had he just thrown me off?_

Arthur was, well, _shocked_. He couldn't comprehend how he had done that because the action really hadn't been intentional. Not that he hadn't _tried_ to use magic but he just wasn't able to. And suddenly he was throwing the vampire across the room? His powers hadn't acted this spontaneously since he had been a kid! And it exhausted him too.

The vampire started advancing towards him.

"Stay away!" Arthur warned him. Alfred paused but then continued in his step.

"I said stay away you fucking vampire!"

The 'fucking vampire' raised an eyebrow.

"Hey chill out, I was just playing with you," he said with a light smile.

"...what?"

Alfred chuckled at the shocked stare he was given.

"I wouldn't have bitten you, that'd be, well, really un-heroic of me and all." He smiled his fangs shoving for a brief moment.

_Playing with me..? So this was a _game_? Is he crazy or what?_ Arthur just continued to stare at him as if he had just grown a second, and third and maybe a fourth, head. That's until he found his voice again.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Do you really think I'll believe you this shit? You are a vampire for heaven's sake! It's obvious what your intentions are so don't bother with this stupid talk!" He glared daggers at the other man.

Alfred sighed. He couldn't say he blamed Arthur for not believing him, he had taken the 'game' a little too far after all.

"Look, I'm sorry, that was a stupid joke but I don't want to hurt you, really, I want to help you, you saved my life and well, I want to be even and admit it, you're not gonna survive on you own," he paused until he remembered something. "I brought you something!" he exclaimed and scurried away. He picked up something by the stairs. He must have dropped it there before but Arthur hadn't noticed it till now.

"Here, take it." Alfred handed him a linen bag. The other eyed it warily but after a second raised his hands to take the bag awkwardly between his wrists, careful not to hurt his fingers. He peeked inside and then looked back to the vampire in disbelief.

"It's just some water and a piece of bread, I couldn't find anything better and I had to hurry not to get caught."

_He got me some food and water?_ Arthur just couldn't grasp the situation. The vampire really seemed like he wanted to help him. But he wasn't going to trust him so easily. And still, he felt grateful for that gesture.

"Thank you," he mumbled and pulled a bottle out of the bag.

"No problem, I should be thanking you." Alfred really thought so, it was after all thanks to Arthur that they were out of the jail now. He looked at the man on the floor and noticed that he was struggling with the bottle. He gasped.

"Hey, let me help you with that!" He stared at the awfully bruised fingers and couldn't believe he hadn't noticed earlier. He kneeled down making a move to take the bottle.

"No! I can manage," Arthur said sternly. He held the bottle between his palms and pulled the cork out with his teeth. It hurt but he had still his pride, he was not about to let the vampire do a task this simple for him. He would do it himself. But when he tipped the bottle so he could take a swig of water it slipped.

A hand came to rescue and caught it before it spilled.

"I'll help you, just _let_ me, can you?"

"No, I'll do it myself!"

"Why don't you just admit you need help?"

"Because I can take a bloody drink myself! I'm not an invalid!" Arthur was angry. Not at Alfred and not even at himself but at the whole situation. He hated the feeling of depending on someone, of being weak and useless.

Alfred watched the other for a moment and then sighed. This was not just about the bottle of water. And it was starting to irritate him how Arthur couldn't seem to believe him.

"Well, it seems that right now you are. And you need help so just let me because I want to help you. Why else would I bring you here? Why would I bother to find you some water and food? I could be out of the town right now if I left you in the jail!"

Arthur caught to that last comment.

"So we're still in the town?" he asked.

"Yeah, and we have," he looked at his pocket watch, "one hour left before the relief guard comes on duty and finds out that we're gone."

Arthur decided he wasn't going to ask why the current guard wouldn't discover them gone, not now at least.

"So you are really going to help me? I mean to get out of here." It was pretty obvious from what the vampire had said but Arthur still wanted to make sure.

"Sure!" Alfred smiled at him. "But first you should drink this and maybe eat some, I dunno how long you've been in there but I don't think they fed you much."

The wizard's lips twitched at this.

_Well, that makes two of us. Who knows how long..._

Arthur made a move to take the bottle again but Alfred stopped him.

"Hey! I thought you were going to let me help."

The wizard furrowed his brow.

"I'm not going to let myself be helped with drinking like some child," he said sternly. He had his _pride_ dammit.

"Oh, come on! It's not such a big deal!" Alfred almost whined.

_Not a big deal? Of course it's a big deal! It's so.. so... degrading and humiliating and undignified and.. and Arthur you can't even walk on your own so stop making fool of yourself!_ Arthur sighed.

"Ok," he said quietly.

Alfred smiled again.

"That's a good boy," he said bringing the bottle to Arthur's face.

The wizard raised an eyebrow at that.

"That was really unnecessary." He guided the bottle to his lips and it was tilted down a bit. He hadn't even realised how thirsty he was.

"Yeah, but I couldn't help it." Alfred was becoming more and more at ease with the wizard. Maybe it was just because he knew that the other man wasn't any real threat to him or because he wasn't about to be decapitated by him but Alfred believed that the main reason was that Arthur finally acted like a human without that cold and composed exterior. As he watched the other drink he couldn't help but be a bit dumbfounded by his appearance. Ha had always imagined all the wizards to be either old, bearded men or some ugly individuals with slimy black hair. He knew it was silly but he just had so Arthur had been a real surprise for him.

He was startled by a sudden choking noise and quickly tipped the bottle back.

"Hey, take it slow," he said to the coughing wizard.

Arthur glared at him.

"Thanks for advice, it's much appreciated," he spat sarcastically but it only made Alfred laugh.

"So what now? You want you eat something or should we go now?" the vampire asked.

Arthur eyed the bag on the floor and thought about it. He wasn't hungry, though he knew that didn't mean anything, he just felt sick so the image of food didn't look really appealing.

"I don't think I could eat something now so let's just go," he said slowly. He wondered if Alfred realised that he wasn't able to walk.

"Ok," the vampire agreed and stood up. But then he frowned. "You know, I'm not familiar with this town or the surroundings so I don't really know where to go, I hoped you'd know..."

"We should go to my house."

Alfred frowned more.

"Isn't that a bit stupid?" he asked. "I mean, wouldn't they expect you to go there?"

"Maybe yes and maybe not, but I have to go there so it doesn't really matter." Arthur sighed. "I'm in no condition to run away, I have to heal myself first but I can't do that unless I'm home. After that I'll be able to take care of myself." He looked up to find Alfred watching him pensively.

"Ok," the vampire agreed finally. "Can you walk?"

"...no." Arthur really wanted to say otherwise but it'd be useless. Now he just felt useless.

"I thought so," Alfred said before he bent down and picked the other man up from the floor, one arm under his knees the other behind his back.

Arthur hissed in pain as he was swung up into the vampire's arms. And with frightening ease, he noticed.

"You all right?" Alfred asked, worried, as he adjusted Arthur in his hold.

"I'm ok." Arthur was not about to complain, he felt enough like a burden, literally, as it was.

_I still don't understand him. Why does he bother with me?_

"Really? Just tell me if I'm hurting you or something." Alfred walked over to the table and blew out the candle and the room fell into darkness.

_No, I don't understand..._

"I'm fine, really, don't worry about me."

Alfred made his way up the stairs as if he wasn't carrying anything at all. He didn't really believe the wizard that he was ok. He kept twitching and grimacing with every step. The vampire didn't comment on it though.

_He could just tell me he's in pain but he won't, as if he doesn't want to look weak. Why can't he just trust me?_ he asked even when he knew the answer. He was a vampire and Arthur was a wizard, that just didn't get along. _Maybe I can convince him that I'm not just out for his blood. I wonder if he can trust me then._

He walked out of the building. It was an old house on the edge of the small town, standing aside from the other houses. Alfred supposed it looked a bit scary in the dark night, as if a ghost could reside there. He shrugged off the uneasy feeling.

"So, which way to your house?"

* * *

><p><span>AN<span>: There's nothing much going on in this, is there? I've also been told by my friend (and I know it's true) that I tend to exaggerate the extent of description and to overuse adjectives so if you think so too then just say it and I'll really try to do something about it in the next chapter. And the most important question, do you like it? Or hate it? Well, tell me what you think because every review makes me smile like a fool. And I'm still not a native english speaker so feel free to point out what I do wrong. Thanks for reading and until the next chapter!


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